Visitor Medical Insurance

Visitor Medical Insurance is a short-term health insurance policy that provides medical coverage for illness or injury during travel or stay abroad. Lack of coverage in a foreign land would leave you vulnerable position in the event of a medical emergency, which is physically, financially and emotionally agonizing.
Traveling with a medical insurance is a smart thing to do, especially if you are visiting USA. Health care system and medical organizations work differently in the US and abroad.

Be a well-informed traveler and protect yourself and your family with Insurance. Below is information that we tried to cover, and also some little known and some ignored, but important insurance issues.

What is a visitor medical insurance? and what it covers?

Where to get it from?

What are the rates and coverage?

How does it work?

Period of coverage? Start date/end date?

How to claim?

Factors determining your total insurance coverage:

Visitor Medical Insurance Terminology

UseFul Tips

FAQs

Recommended Reading

Visitor Medical Insurance: Buyers Dilemma. Which one to buy? Visitor Insurance from India vs. USA Suggest-a-Plan : A assessment tool to help you decide a plan suitable for you. Get the Quotes - Online!

How does visitors medical insurance help?

How to obtain a policy?

Insurance from USA:

Medical insurance from an US based agency might be more expensive, but being recognized by a larger number of hospitals and doctors is definitely an advantage. One can receive instant coverage and instant attention during a medical emergency. There are several companies in USA that provide medical insurance for international visitors.
Find below an online source to compare and select insurance policies for buying visitors medical insurance.

Online resource for Visitor Medical Insurance Plan Type.

Facts about various Visitor Insurance providers and resources
As a matter of fact, there are very few Companies that are the actual providers and the rest, their agents with different names.
The above link provides names of various top companies and all their plans listed. You can read, compare, select, get a quote and make a prudent decision to buy the best suitable plan

Insurance from your home country:

There are several insurance companies, which provide medical insurance for international travelers, mostly offered through the local travel agencies.
For instance following are some of the Indian companies, which provide the visitor insurance for international visitors.

• New India insurance company.
• The oriental insurance company.
• United India insurance.
• Tata AIG
• Bajaj

Though these organizations maintain web sites, the information provided is not quiet updated as required. It is always better to call their local office and find out exact information.
Plans and rates vary from company to company. A major disadvantage with these policies is that they are not accepted by many of the hospitals and doctors in USA. Hence when you need to claim your expenses later on, you’ll have to deal a lot of paper work, correspondence and frustrating follow ups.

Cost and coverage?

How does it work?

The insurance company provides you with an ID card, or a document stating your policy number and related details while purchasing a policy.
On your visit to a hospital or a doctor, verify the acceptance of your insurance policy. If yes, you are instantly attended. You might have to pay the minimum fee known as "deductible"; the amount/percentage depends on your policy agreement and terms.
On other hand, if they don't accept the policy, you might have to pay your entire medical expenses at the time of visit before seeing the doctor. Later you can file your claims with the insurance company.

Period of coverage? Start date/end date?

How to claim?

Factors determining your total insurance coverage:

1. Age: It is one of the major factors determining your premium.
2. Maximum Coverage: There are different plans depending on the maximum coverage you want. For e.g. $50,000, $ 100,000 etc.
3. Deductible: The minimum amount one has to pay in case of any medical expenses.
4. Rider Factor: Your insurance will increase if you plan to indulge in hazardous activities such as rock climbing, skiing etc.

Visitor Insurance Terminology:

Exclusions: This can be defined as the expense that the insurance company/plan is not liable to pay. Example: expenses resulting from illegal drug use, conditions which existed prior to the purchase of the insurance (pre-existing conditions), participation in various dangerous activities. Read coverage carefully for exclusions in your plan.

Co-Insurance The percentage or amount of eligible expenses that the insured pays after the deductible.

Example: "Co-Insurance = 20% or co-pay is 80/20" means that the insurance company pays 80% of the charges, the insured pays 20%. Often in many plans there is a maximum co-pay amount, i.e., a limit which the insurance provider pays 100%. Example: "Deductible = $250 and 80/20 co-pay up to $5000, then 100% up to policy maximum." This means the insured is required to pay the deductible of $250 plus 20% of expenses up to $5,000, and the insurance provider pays 100% of covered expenses that exceed $5000 up to the maximum policy coverage limit

Premium: The amount you pay to purchase medical insurance policy. Premiums may be paid full in advance or monthly or depending on the policy.

Beneficiary: The person or persons designated by the insured to receive the proceeds of an insurance policy upon the death of the insured.

maximum Coverage: The maximum limit/amount of money that the insurance provider will pay for covered expenses. This may be an overall maximum or an amount for each illness/accident.

Renewable or non Renewable: This feature(Renewable) tells whether the particular plan/policy can be continued and not be treated as a new policy.

Tips

1. Never travel without an insurance policy.
2. Keep all your receipts and reports safely.
3. Try your best to convince the hospital/doctors to accept your insurance policy. Remember, your way of tackling the situation might help you.
4. If you extend your stay in USA, don't forget to extend your medical insurance policy.

Does it really matter to buy insurance from an US based insurance company?
Yes, convenience, instant reachable customer support, insurance acceptance, the peace of mind and hassle free claim is certainly present when you buy policies from US based insurance companies.

Why Buy online?

• Easy and quick.
• Hassle free.
• No paper work, no fax, no membership.
• No physical/medical exam required.
• Get instant ID cards and coverage starts instantly or whenever you request.
• Renewal is easy.
• Only the top most reliable Insurance companies provide online purchase.

Need help to decide which plan may suit your need ? Take this online assessment to learn more: Suggest-a-Plan

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